Your morning briefing: What you should know for Monday, August 10

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Jason Collie10 August 2020

Pro-democracy campaigner arrested in Hong Kong

Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai has been arrested, his aide has said, in the highest-profile use yet of the city’s new national security law.

Mr Lai, who owns the tabloid newspaper Apple Daily and regularly criticises China’s authoritarian rule, is accused of collusion with foreign powers, his aide Mark Simon announced on Twitter.

Hong Kong police said seven people had been arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law, but the statement did not reveal the names of those being held.

Mr Simon claimed that police searched the homes of Mr Lai and his son, while more than 100 officers had raided the company’s newsroom.

PM told to boost virus testing and tracing for schools

Boris Johnson is facing widespread calls to boost coronavirus testing and tracing in order to safely reopen schools to all pupils without imposing further restrictions on businesses or social lives.

The Prime Minister said it is the national priority to get children back in class in England next month, but he has been warned by scientific advisers that trade-offs may be necessary to keep transmission down.

Teachers, scientists, opposition politicians and the children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield have all called for improvements to testing before pupils return.

Ms Longfield said regular testing of pupils and teachers, perhaps as frequently as weekly, could be needed even if they do not exhibit symptoms.

Firefighters keep wary eye on heathland after fire

Firefighters are likely to remain at the scene of a devastating Surrey blaze for most of this week.

Yesterday Surrey Fire and Rescue service said crews had made significant progress tackling the fire on Chobham Common and were concentrating on several hotspots and damping down the area.

Residents evacuated from their homes near the heathland on Friday afternoon were told that they will be allowed to return but firefighters will remain in the area because of fears the weather conditions could allow the blaze could rapidly take hold again.

Meanwhile more than 100 firefighters fought to bring a fire in a row of shops in east London under control this morning.

One man has been treated for smoke inhalation and the fire was brought under control just before 3am.

Cowell 'doing fine' after surgery on broken back

Simon Cowell has had six hours of surgery after breaking his back in a number of places in a cycling accident.

The 60-year-old fell off a new electric bike he was testing at his home in Malibu and has had a metal rod inserted in his back.

A spokeswoman for Mr Cowell said he was now under observation and was "doing fine".

A source added that while it is a bad injury, doctors have told Cowell he had been very lucky.

Thunderstorms likely for England and Wales

Large parts of England and Wales area could face severe thunderstorms this week after the scorching temperatures of the past few days.

The Met Office has issued a broad yellow warning covering much the UK from Monday to Thursday, meaning there is a risk of torrential rain, hail, frequent lightning and strong gusty winds in much of England and Wales if intense thunderstorms break out.

However forecaster Craig Snell added that the severe weather will not strike everywhere and that temperatures would remain very hot.

Bronze Age find is golden for archaeologists

A metal detectorist has discovered a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts in the Scottish Borders that experts have described as “nationally significant”.

The man was searching a field near Peebles with friends in June when he found a bronze object buried half a metre underground.

It led to archaeologists spending 22 days investigating the site and among the items found were rings, a complete horse harness and a sword which have been dated as being from 1000 to 900 BC.

On this day…

1675: Greenwich Observatory was established by King Charles II, who laid the foundation stone.

1842: The Mines Act was passed by the British Parliament, forbidding women and children to work underground.

1889: The screw bottle top was patented by Dan Rylands of Hope Glass Works, Barnsley.

1895: The first London Promenade Concert took place, founded by Henry Wood and Robert Newman, and played by an orchestra of 80 in the Queen’s Hall.

1897: The Royal Automobile Club was founded, under the name of The Automobile Club of Great Britain.

1961: Britain first applied for membership of the EEC.

2003: The UK recorded its highest temperature – 38.5C (101.3F) – in Kent. It was beaten on July 25 2019 by 38.7C, reached in Cambridge Botanic Garden.

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